U.S. patent application number 10/330720 was filed with the patent office on 2004-03-11 for apparatus and method for folding and stacking napkins.
This patent application is currently assigned to American Trade Names & Patents LLC. Invention is credited to Roozrokh, Shahram.
Application Number | 20040048727 10/330720 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 31996948 |
Filed Date | 2004-03-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040048727 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Roozrokh, Shahram |
March 11, 2004 |
Apparatus and method for folding and stacking napkins
Abstract
A folding and stacking device for folded sheet articles includes
a folding device for outputting a first set of sheet articles
having a first fold and a second set of sheet articles having a
second fold. Sheet articles from the first and second sets of sheet
articles are alternatingly placed on a stack so that the first and
second folds are on opposing sides of the stack to evenly
distribute the sheet article material on both sides of the
stack.
Inventors: |
Roozrokh, Shahram;
(Hauppauge, NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Michael C. Stuart, Esq.
Cohen, Pontani, Lieberman & Pavane
551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1210
New York
NY
10176
US
|
Assignee: |
American Trade Names & Patents
LLC
|
Family ID: |
31996948 |
Appl. No.: |
10/330720 |
Filed: |
December 30, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60409691 |
Sep 10, 2002 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
493/424 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 2301/42112
20130101; B65H 45/12 20130101; B65H 39/02 20130101; B65H 2701/1924
20130101; B31F 1/0009 20130101; B65H 2701/18264 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
493/424 |
International
Class: |
B31F 005/02 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An apparatus for folding sheet articles and stacking the folded
sheet articles in a stack, comprising: a folding device for
outputting a first set of folded sheet articles having a first fold
and a second set of sheet articles having a second fold; and a
transport device for transporting the first and second sheet
articles to the stack and alternatingly feeding the first and
second articles to the stack, the first and second folds of said
first and second articles being output from the folding device so
that the first and second folds are arranged on opposing sides of
the stack by said transport device.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said folding device comprises
a first folding device for outputting the first set of folded sheet
articles and a second folding device for outputting the second set
of folded sheet articles.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said first folding device is
arranged for receiving a first web of sheet article material and
said second folding device is arranged for receiving a second web
of sheet article material.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said first and second webs are
received from opposing sides of said apparatus.
5. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising first and second
cutters for respectively cutting sheet article lengths from the
first and second webs.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said first and second folds
are made along a length of the sheet article webs and said first
and second folders are arranged upstream of said first and second
cutters.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising first and second
quarter fold devices for respectively folding the sheet articles
received from said first and second folders along a first
transverse fold line.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a common eighth
fold device for folding sheet articles received from said first and
second quarter fold devices along a second transverse fold
line.
9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising first and second
eighth fold devices for respectively folding the sheet articles
received from said first and second quarter folders along a second
transverse fold line.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first and second folds
are made along a longitudinal length of the sheet articles.
11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sheet articles are
napkins.
12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sheet articles are made
of plastic.
13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sheet articles are made
of metal.
14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sheet articles are one
of greeting cards, pamphlets, and brochures.
15. A method for folding sheet articles and stacking the folded
sheet articles in a stack, comprising the steps of: folding a first
set of sheet articles along a first fold and folding a second set
of sheet articles along a second fold; and alternatingly
transporting sheet articles from the first and second sets of sheet
articles to the stack such that the first and second folds are
arranged on opposing sides of the stack.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein said step of folding the first
and second sets of sheet articles further comprises receiving a
first sheet article web at a first folder, receiving a second sheet
article web at a second folder, folding the first set of sheet
articles at the first folder and folding the second set of sheet
articles at the second folder.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second folders
are arranged in a folding apparatus and said step of receiving a
first sheet article web comprises receiving a first article web
from a first side of the folding apparatus and said step of
receiving a second sheet article web comprises receiving the second
sheet article web from a second side of the folding apparatus,
wherein the first and second sides comprise opposing sides of the
folding apparatus.
18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of cutting
the first sheet article web downstream of the first folder into
sheet article lengths and cutting the second sheet article web
downstream of the second folder into sheet article lengths.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first and second folds are
respectively made along the lengths of the first and second sheet
article webs.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of quarter
folding the sheet article length along a transverse quarter fold
line on the sheet article length using separate quarter fold
devices downstream of each of said first and second folders.
21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of eighth
folding the sheet article length along a transverse eighth fold
line on the sheet article length using a common eighth fold device
downstream of the separate quarter fold devices.
22. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of eighth
folding the sheet article length along a transverse eighth fold
line on the sheet article length using separate eighth fold devices
respectively arranged downstream of the quarter fold devices.
23. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said first folds and said
second folds are made along a longitudinal length of said sheet
article.
24. The method of claim 15, wherein the sheet article is a
napkin.
25. The method of claim 15, wherein the sheet article is
plastic.
26. The method of claim 15, wherein the sheet article is metal.
27. The method of claim 15, wherein the sheet article is one of a
greeting card, a pamphlet, and a brochure.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Priority is claimed on U.S. Provisional Patent Application
Serial No. 60/409,691, filed on Sep. 10, 2002.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a device for folding and
stacking folded sheet articles.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] A known apparatus for folding and stacking 1/8 fold sheet
articles such as napkins is illustrated schematically in FIGS. 1
and 2. A web 10 of material for forming the napkin is fed to a
first folding device 12, i.e., a plow, for making a first fold 13,
i.e., a plow fold, along a length of the web. After passing over
the plow, the folded web is fed between an anvil roll 14 and a
knife roll 16 where it is cut to a length of a napkin. The cut
napkin length is then folded along a quarter fold line on a quarter
fold roll 18 while the napkin length is held onto the anvil roll 14
by a vacuum. FIG. 3 shows the cut napkin 11 after being folded by
the quarter fold roll along the quarter fold line 17. After the
quarter fold, the napkin is fed to a 1/8 fold roll 20 and folded
along a 1/8 fold line 19 while the napkin 11 is held between the
quarter fold roll 18 and the 1/8 fold roll 20. The completely
folded napkin 11 is then fed to a stacking section where a required
count of napkins are fed to a stack 22 for further packaging such
as banding.
[0006] The use of vacuum folding techniques for folding sheet
articles is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,974,149 and
3,689,061, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by
reference.
[0007] As shown at the bottom of FIG. 5, the fold 13 is not made in
the center of the web 10. Accordingly, the stack of napkins is more
dense on the left side of the stack because of the nature of the
plow fold 13. Additionally, even if the fold is made at the center
of the web, an edge of the napkin with a fold will be thicker than
an edge without a fold. If the napkins are stacked so that their
folds lie next to one another, one edge of a stack of folded
napkins is significantly thicker or more dense than another edge of
the stack of folded napkins which has no folds, thereby making it
difficult to handle the stack of folded napkins during subsequent
operations, such as packaging.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method
and apparatus for folding and stacking sheet articles which
produces a more uniform stack thickness.
[0009] The object of the present invention is met by a method and
apparatus for folding sheet articles using two different folding
devices. A stack of sheet articles is formed by interleaving the
sheet articles from the two different folding devices. The sheet
article may be made from any substantially planar and foldable
sheet material such as, for example, paper, plastic, or metal.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus
for folding sheet articles includes two folding devices which
output sheet articles having folds on opposite sides of the folded
article. The folded sheet articles from the two folding devices are
interleaved so that the stack includes the two opposing folds. By
alternating the folded sheet articles from the two folding devices
in the stack, the sheet material is evenly distributed on the
opposing sides of the stack associated with the two folds, thereby
producing a stack of uniform thickness.
[0010] A uniformly thick stack is easier to handle, helps reduce
jam-ups in banders and case packers, and facilitates an even
distribution of weight when the stacks are placed in boxes for
shipping. The present invention also reduces waste because the ease
of handling the product reduces downtime of the folding device,
thereby increasing the rate of production and reducing the cost of
production.
[0011] In a more specific embodiment, the present invention is
directed to a device for folding 1/8 fold napkins with a first
folding device, i.e., a plow, for making a first fold along a
longitudinal length of the napkin, a quarter folder for quarter
folding the napkin, and a 1/8 folder for 1/8 folding the napkin.
According to the invention, two plow folders are used for receiving
two separate webs of napkin material. The plow folders fold each
web along a longitudinal length of the web. A separate quarter fold
roll may be associated with each plow and a shared cross drive 1/8
fold cylinder may be used in the final 1/8 fold step for each
napkin. Alternatively, separate 1/8 fold cylinders may be used with
each feeding the 1/8 folded napkin to a belt guided accumulator
table.
[0012] Other objects and features of the present invention will
become apparent from the following detailed description considered
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be
understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for
purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of
the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended
claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not
necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated,
they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures
and procedures described herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] In the drawings, wherein like reference characters denote
similar elements throughout the several views:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a prior art napkin
folder;
[0015] FIG. 2 is an end view of the cylinders of the folder in FIG.
1;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a quarter folded napkin;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a 1/8 folded napkin;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a stack of folded napkins
generated by the device of FIG. 1;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a sheet article
folder according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 7 is an end view of the cylinders of the sheet article
folder in FIG. 6;
[0021] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a stack of sheet articles
folded by the device of FIGS. 6 and 7;
[0022] FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of a sheet article
folder according to another embodiment of the present
invention;
[0023] FIG. 10 is an end view of the cylinder arrangement of the
folder in FIG. 9;
[0024] FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a sheet article
folder according to yet another embodiment of the present
invention; and
[0025] FIG. 12 is an end view of the cylinder arrangement of the
folder in FIG. 11.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0026] A sheet article folder and stacker according to the present
invention is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 which includes first and second
folding devices 112a, 112b, i.e., plows, for receiving first and
second webs 110a, 110b. After being folded along a first fold line
113a in the first plow 112a, the first web 110a is fed through a
set of anvil and knife rolls 114a, 116a where it is cut to proper
length for the article to be formed such as, for example, a napkin,
a greeting card, a pamphlet, a brochure, or any other sheet article
which has one or more folds. The sheet article is not limited to
paper and may be made of any substantially planar and foldable
sheet material such as plastic or metal. The cut sheet article is
then fed to a quarter fold roll 118a where it is subjected to a
quarter fold. The quarter folded sheet article is then fed to a
common 1/8 fold roll 120 where it is folded into the final product.
Similarly, the second web 110b is fed through a set of anvil and
knife rolls 114b, 116b for cutting, a quarter fold roll 118b for
quarter folding and then to the common 1/8 fold roll 120 for 1/8
folding. The quarter fold rolls 118a, 118b and 1/8 fold roll 120
may comprise vacuum cylinders which use vacuum folding techniques
described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,974,149 and 3,689,061,
the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Alternatively, the quarter fold rolls 118a, 118b and 1/8 fold rolls
120 may use mechanical tuckers and grippers, such as, for example,
those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,054,426 and 2,057,879, the
entire contents of which are also incorporated herein by
reference.
[0027] The 1/8 folded sheet articles from the first and second webs
are then moved to a stack 122 so that sheet articles from the first
and second webs are interleaved. The orientation of the first and
second folding devices 112a, 112b is such that the folds 113a
created by the first folding device 112a on the first web 110a are
arranged on an opposing side of the stack 122 from the folds 113b
created by the second folding device 112b on the second web 110b as
shown in FIG. 8. Furthermore, the feeding of the sheet articles
from the first and second webs to the stack is synchronized, and/or
the quarter fold rolls 118a, 118b are positioned, so that the 1/8
folded sheets articles are alternately placed on the stack. The
alternating folds 113a, 113b in the stack 122 create an even
distribution of sheet material in the stack 122, thereby making the
stack more stable than if the folds 113a and 113b were all arranged
on the same side.
[0028] As seen from FIG. 8, the folds 113a, 113b are not made along
the center of the web 110a, 110b. Rather, they are made such that
the width of material on one side of the fold is greater than the
width on the other side of the fold. However, this offset fold is
not a requirement of the present invention. The folds 113a, 113b
may be made along the center of the web. As further seen from FIG.
8, the first napkin (at the top of FIG. 8) has its 1/8 fold on its
left edge, the second napkin has its 1/8 fold on its right edge,
the third napkin has its 1/8 fold on its left edge, and so forth.
As a result of this alternating stacking, the left and right edges
of the stack of napkins have substantially the same thickness or
density.
[0029] Although the preferred embodiment shows that the sheet
article is first folded lengthwise, then in a quarter fold, and
then in an eighth fold, the present invention requires only that
the sheet article be folded once and that this fold be alternately
arranged on opposing sides of a stack. According to the present
invention, two separate trains of sheet articles are folded in
folders and alternately placed on a stack of sheet articles so that
the fold in articles from the first train is on an opposing side of
the stack from the fold in articles from the second train. That is,
the interleaved articles include folds on opposing sides of the
stack.
[0030] Moreover, the anvil and knife rolls 114a, 116a, 114b, and
116b may be omitted if the sheet articles are fed in pre-cut
condition to the first folding device 112a, 112b. If cutting of the
web is not required, a vacuum roll may be used in place of the
anvil and knife rolls.
[0031] FIGS. 9 and 10 show another sheet article folder according
to the present invention in which the 1/8 fold roll 120 of FIGS. 6
and 7 is replaced by a individual rolls 120a, 120b and a belt 126.
This embodiment also includes first and second folding devices
112a, 112b for receiving first and second webs 110a, 110b and first
and second quarter fold rolls, respectively. Furthermore, the
embodiment of FIGS. 9 and 10 uses separate 1/8 fold rolls 120a,
120b. The 1/8 folded sheet articles are fed from the 1/8 fold rolls
120a, 120b to a transport device 124 comprising a transport roll
125 between the 1/8 fold rolls 120a, 120b and a belt 126 which
moves the folded sheet articles to the stack 122. The folded sheet
articles are alternatingly placed on the belt 126 which then places
the folded articles on the stack 122.
[0032] Instead of transport device 124, many other types of
transport devices may be used which move the folded sheet articles
to the stack while maintaining the interleaved order of the sheet
articles. FIGS. 11 and 12 show another example of a transport
device 132 for moving the folded sheet articles to the stack. The
transport device 132 includes a belt 130 associated with the 1/8
fold roll 120a. A transport roll 128 is used to transport folded
sheet articles from 1/8 fold roll 120b to the belt 130.
Furthermore, a guide 129 is arranged adjacent to the belt 130 to
guide the sheet articles onto the stack.
[0033] Thus, while there have shown and described and pointed out
fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a
preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various
omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of
the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by
those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the
invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all
combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform
substantially the same function in substantially the same way to
achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention.
Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements
and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any
disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated
in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment
as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention,
therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the
claims appended hereto.
* * * * *